#beginner-friendly

9 trips tagged “beginner-friendly”

Snag Lake Loop

The Snag Lake loop is Lassen's most unusual easy backpack: a short circuit from Butte Lake past the jet-black Cinder Cone and the Painted Du…

7.8 mi603 ft gainDiff 11

Forsee Creek to Johns Meadow

Forsee Creek is the San Gorgonio Wilderness's quiet corner: a shaded 3.9-mile climb to Johns Meadow, a creekside camp at 7,200 feet with rel…

7.8 mi1,600 ft gainDiff 12

Boy Scout Trail

The Boy Scout Trail is Joshua Tree's signature backpacking route: 7.8 miles of sandy wash and slickrock between the 4,000-foot trailhead and…

15.6 mi1,600 ft gainDiff 14

Little Lakes Valley

Little Lakes Valley is a chain of emerald lakes threaded beneath the 13,000-foot granite spires of Bear Creek Spire and Mount Morgan, reache…

6.4 mi1,242 ft gainDiff 20

Duck Pass to Duck Lake

Duck Lake is the easiest true backpacking destination in the Mammoth Lakes area: a 4.75-mile climb past Arrowhead and Barney Lakes and over …

9.5 mi3,210 ft gainDiff 28

Cottonwood Pass to Chicken Spring Lake

Cottonwood Pass is the gentle giant of the southern Sierra: a 10,000-foot trailhead, a mellow 3.5-mile climb to the 11,200-foot pass, and Ch…

15 mi2,962 ft gainDiff 30

South Fork Trail to Dry Lake

The South Fork Trail is the San Gorgonio Wilderness's friendliest entry: a 5.7-mile, 2,100-foot climb from the 6,900-foot trailhead through …

11.4 mi4,400 ft gainDiff 31

Ten Lakes Basin

Ten Lakes Basin is a pocket of granite-ringed alpine lakes northwest of Tuolumne Meadows, reached by a steady 5.5-mile climb from Tioga Road…

11.1 mi4,212 ft gainDiff 32

Timber Gap Trail

Timber Gap is Mineral King's gentle introduction: a 4.85-mile climb from Cold Springs over a forested 9,500-foot pass to the headwaters of C…

9.7 mi4,780 ft gainDiff 32